Being Bonterra: Carmen Gattis on shaping a sustainable future through steady leadership

This year’s Women’s History Month theme — Leading the change: Women shaping a sustainable future — recognizes women who are reimagining and rebuilding systems to ensure long-term sustainability across environmental, economic, educational, and societal spheres. It challenges us to think about sustainability as a long-term commitment to people, equity, and resilience.

For Carmen Gattis, manager of professional services at Bonterra, sustainability starts with people. The way she leads today is rooted in the women who shaped her long before she stepped into formal leadership.

From small-town roots to big impact

Carmen grew up in a small Kansas town where everyone knew one another. Support, care, and connection were simply part of daily life. That foundation shaped her values deeply, even as she set her sights beyond her hometown.

In graduate school, her professors pushed her to think beyond what felt comfortable or familiar. They challenged her to consider how she could serve more broadly and more boldly.

“My professors challenged me to explore what more I could offer my community,” she recalls. “They helped me see that growth often comes from stepping outside what you know.”

After school, she entered social work drawn to its immediacy, working closely with individuals and families navigating complex economic and social challenges. She carried the emotional weight of that work with seriousness and respect. Over time, she realized she needed a different way to serve. She wanted to continue helping others, but needed balance and a way to serve that felt sustainable.

A friend introduced her to Social Solutions, one of Bonterra’s legacy organizations. The career transition allowed her to stay connected to the nonprofit sector while influencing impact through systems and strategy rather than direct service alone.

“It felt like the right move,” she says. “I could stay connected to the nonprofit world and still have an impact, just through a different lens.” That lens would eventually sharpen her definition of sustainability.

The women who inspired Carmen

Long before she defined sustainability in her work, Carmen saw it modeled in the women who raised and mentored her. Her grandmother was her first example.

“She taught me that you can be tough and loving at the same time,” Carmen says.

Her grandmother worked hard. She showed up consistently. She did not lead loudly. She led steadily. She cared deeply for the people around her, including Carmen, and modeled a quiet resilience that did not require recognition. That steadiness lives in Carmen’s decision-making today. When faced with hard calls, she holds clarity and compassion together. She remembers there are real people involved. She learned early that leadership is not about control. It is about responsibility and service to others.

In graduate school, another woman shifted her trajectory: a supervisor who offered honest, direct feedback without diminishing her.

“She didn’t sugarcoat it, but she didn’t make it personal,” Carmen recalls. “She treated me like someone capable.”

That distinction mattered. Clear feedback, given with belief in someone’s growth, builds confidence over time. It taught Carmen that support does not mean softening the truth. Sustainable leadership requires both accountability and care.

Michelle Obama represents another leadership model she carries with her, quite literally. A candle bearing her image sits on Carmen’s desk. To her, Michelle reflects strength, intelligence, and grace under pressure. She sees in her a balance of conviction and calm confidence, proof that women can lead visibly without sacrificing warmth.

Together, these influences shaped a leadership style that is steady, relational, and grounded in accountability.

Creating space where women already belong

Carmen is intentional about ensuring women on her team do not feel they must overprove to be respected.

“I try to create an environment where the seat is already yours,” she says. “You don’t have to earn oxygen in the room.”

That means publicly backing women when they share ideas. It means ensuring credit goes where it belongs, and normalizing direct feedback and healthy disagreement so women do not feel they must soften every contribution. When women are freed from constant self-monitoring, they can focus on the task at hand. This is how sustainable leadership multiplies. One woman models steadiness. Others rise without apology.

Author

Bonterra Editorial Team

View profile